Comfort Zone
by LickleSoxy
Summary: The TARDIS has kicked the Doctor out, right onto River Song's temporary doorstep, and she wants to find out why, while all he wants to do is get back to his ship and companions. Eleven/River. Amy/Rory.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: **This is a multi-chapter story set after _Day of the Moon_, but before _A Good Man Goes To War_.

**Pairings: **Eleven/River, Amy/Rory

**-o-**

**Comfort Zone**

**Chapter One**

The house was quite small, but fitting enough for the purpose she needed it for. Acting as a temporary location to rest, the brick building only had two bedrooms, both of them relatively tiny compared to some of the rooms River had seen in her time. The bathroom had a bath but no shower, though that didn't concern her because she rather enjoyed relaxing in a tub every once in a while. Moving back downstairs after her quick search to see if the house actually was vacant, River looked around the kitchen with a smile, before placing her jacket over the back of the nearest chair; being wooden, holding a cushion to give at least some comfort to whoever wished to be seated on it, it appeared to be the only one in the room. Ignoring the furniture - well, in this case, the lack of it - and turning her attention to the sink, River turned on the cold tap so water would begin to pour noisily down the plug hole.

Rinsing off the dust that had settled on her fingers from having forced open the front door earlier, River quickly turned the tap back off, then proceeded to look around the cupboards to see if there was a towel she could use. When one couldn't be found, a bored sigh escaped her lips. Deciding to wipe away the moisture on her skin by using the material of her trousers, River absently understood that getting the clothing wet wasn't a problem. She wouldn't be going anywhere fancy tonight, so being slightly scruffy wasn't a bad thing.

Not caring to stop another sigh from coming out her mouth, River walked out of the kitchen and stepped into the lounge, her gaze seeking out the narrow sofa tucked away in the corner of the room. Silently giving thanks to whoever had decided to abandon the seat when they had left the house, River strolled over to the cream sofa and collapsed onto it with a grunt. Two weeks she had spent in this time period now, searching for a way back off planet Earth, and it had taken her this long to find a relatively warm place to get some sleep.

Though her quest to find a way to another planet had thus far failed, she didn't really mind all that much. This time period, despite a couple of atrocities, did have its little charms and pleasantries; considering that she had landed in one of the calmer years of the 21st Century, River couldn't complain. She knew that, if needs demanded it, she could easily spend another month or more in her current location without true annoyance overcoming her. It would be inconvenient, yes, but not entirely terrible.

The quiet muffles of cars a few streets away acted as a sort of droning, constant noise to block out the other sounds close by, and River rapidly found her eyes closing as she began falling into the sleep she needed. Night cool, the air musty but not suffocating, it was peaceful, and she was teetering on the edge of slipping under completely when something abruptly startled her into alertness once more.

It was familiar, the sound of a ship that she would _never_ not want to hear.

Lifting herself gracelessly into a standing position, stumbling a bit as the sound of materialisation continued to increase in volume, River tried to focus on stopping her limbs from shaking until she was confident she wouldn't fall over. Running out of the lounge and back into the kitchen, her momentum only slowing when she arrived at the back door, River let a grin rise onto her lips as she realised that no key had been used to lock it. Unhooking the loose catch that, in truth, wasn't strong enough to hold someone back from entering the house if they wanted to, River pushed the door open and made to step out into the garden as she peered into the darkness. What her eyes caught sight of made her hesitate in the doorway, a flash of confusion flowing into her instantaneously as she regarded the blue box and its pilot.

"Let me back in!"

His voice was hoarse, its pitch cracking as a note of desperation seeped into the words. Watching with mild astonishment as the Doctor clambered up from his crumpled position on the wet floor, a sudden fear soon coursed through her as he rushed forwards unsteadily and placed his hand against the TARDIS doors. The second flesh made contact with wood, he was thrown backwards with a sickening abruptness, his back hitting the grass with a soft thud. Features paling slightly, River continued to watch as the Doctor pushed himself back up again, and, without any amount of reluctance, seemed prepared to haul his body back at the ship without a single hesitance. Unable to control the shiver that ran down her spine when the TARDIS started its dematerialisation process, River felt useless as the sound mixed with the strangled yell that escaped the Doctor's mouth as he too witnessed the ship leaving, helpless to prevent it from going without him.

It took several seconds, but River's body finally kicked back into action. Stepping into the back garden and running over to the Doctor, her hand came up to touch his shoulder in the attempt to get him to turn around when she was close enough to achieve physical contact. He jumped when her palm came down, fingers curling around to make a firm grip, and River had to hold back on the usual tease that she would state in response to the surprised reaction; that wouldn't be appropriate right now.

Something was seriously wrong, since the TARDIS had _forcibly_ shoved the Doctor out of its doors.

Keeping all questions to herself for now, River tightened her grip on his shoulder and waited for him to turn and look at her. There was no point in moving around to his front, since the Doctor needed to compose himself first before coming face to face with anyone. She would want the same thing if the roles were reversed, so it was only fair to offer him the same opportunity.

When he finally did turn, River got her next surprise of the night. Gazing into his eyes silently, watching the recognition set in, River couldn't help but feel concerned as she took in the fresh tears streaming down his face. To say that she was worried would be an understatement. It took something truly terrible - _too _terrible, in fact - to make the Time Lord actually _cry_.

"River?"

Pushing aside all thoughts of how wrong this situation was for the moment, she gave a small nod in confirmation at the confused mutter. Bringing her other arm up, she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. She was quietly glad when his arms instantly came up to squeeze her back. It was only the tiniest hint of reassurance that showed he wasn't afraid to return her affection, yet it was still a relief to know he wasn't completely against the idea of letting her offer comfort.

The sense of security soon faded, though, when a chill forced itself through her skin. Unwelcome and uncomfortable, River immediately realised that it was coming from the Doctor; even through two different layers of clothing, River could feel how cold he was. Worry making its way into her mind, River pulled her body even closer to his, while her hands began rubbing up and down his back in an attempt to warm him up. It seemed to work a smidgen, if the way his body stopped shivering was any indication.

"What happened? What's wrong?" She found the words came easily, though she suspected the answers would not be given so freely.

When she thought about it, it didn't take a whole lot of intelligence to determine that the Doctor had _not_ set the co-ordinates for this location. The TARDIS had chosen this time zone, this specific garden to throw him in... But what did that mean? River understood that the TARDIS was no ordinary ship, yet could it truly act out against its own pilot? Was the magnificent blue box capable of doing action without input from a person? And, if the TARDIS could do that, then why had she kicked the Doctor out so viciously? There were too many questions, and River had the horrible feeling that none of the answers would be explained to her.

Contemplating what could have happened wasn't really helpful. Biting her lip, River couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her mouth.

"Doctor."

She needed him to at least talk to her, even if he didn't want to, because she couldn't work out the situation without more information. Yes, she could guess that something hadn't gone too well, but the number of things that could have caused such a reaction from the TARDIS was too high.

Holding back the remark that wanted to leave her when the Doctor offered silence and nothing more, River brought her arms down from around him and pulled away about an inch. Not giving up contact completely, she lifted her hand up to his cheek and trailed a finger down it. Becoming wet and cold, River had to prevent her hand from trembling. Placing her thumb under his chin and pushing up gently to coax his head up until he was looking at her, she suddenly realised that his tears weren't actually that fresh at all. He had stopped crying, probably the moment he'd realised he was in her presence.

"Doctor, what is it?"

The atmosphere around them shifted so abruptly, after the last word exited her mouth, that River wasn't sure what happened, what she'd said wrong. The second her mouth closed, the moment all sound stopped, the Doctor's expression changed. At once his features were filled with a terrifying rage, his eyes narrowing into a dark loathing as he brought his hands up quickly and swiftly to shove River away, hard. River stumbled back and almost fell to the floor due to the slippery grass under her feet. Regaining control of her limbs rapidly, but unable to keep the cry of shock from pouring out of her mouth, River's face contorted in fury as confusion and anger replaced any concern she had previously held towards the Doctor.

Her own emotions building up rather dangerously, she rounded on the Doctor with balled up fists, her stance unfriendly and her feelings about what he had just done quite clear. How dare he push her away when all she was doing was giving him some comfort. Who the _hell _did he think he was?

"Wait, stop!"

Suddenly, River was confronted with the apparent notion that she really had no clue as to what was going on. Halting her advance on the Doctor, not able to deny the fact that she'd heard the plead in those words, she couldn't help but be struck dumb as his hands flew out in a placating gesture, his features twisting in panic as he took a step backwards. It was obvious that he had not meant to lash out at her.

All of her anger dissipated immediately, her earlier worry removing any of the unwanted fury from her thoughts. There was something not quite fitting into place about this whole encounter, and she couldn't pin down what it was. River knew only one fact: things were going to get rather messed up if she didn't find her answers soon, because she hated not being in control of everything around her.

"What's going on?" River punctuated every word with a small step towards the Doctor. He stood still and allowed the invasion of his personal space. His hands came up to rub his face roughly. Not bothering to remove them before sighing, the Doctor shook his head.

"Sorry."

Whispered, the apology was sincere. Waiting patiently, River watched him, wondering if he would do anything more. After he had finally moved his hands back down to his sides, she was bare witness to the striking idea that, out of everyone, out of every single person he had ever met in this Universe, she wasn't the first, second or even _third_ choice he would have made to receive any sort of comfort from. She had been forced upon him, in a way, just as he had been forced upon her. The knowledge, unsurprisingly, did hurt, but River knew that it wasn't his fault. Whatever age the Doctor was now, it occurred to River that it was far too early in his time line for him to hold any kind of trust towards her.

Putting those thoughts to the back of her mind, River decided that it would be best to give up on getting any answers tonight. The Doctor was stubborn, and although River had confidence in her ability to get him to fess up about a lot of things, she could see that he was probably as tired as she was. Any attempts to get him to talk right now would be futile, in reality.

Nodding her head in the direction of the house, River said, "Come on. Not quite as comfy as your TARDIS, but it'll do. Could rival any of these so called five star hotels."

Revelling in the weak smile her words produced, River slowly turned back towards the house and began edging her way to the open door. Reaching out to place her hand in his, River made no attempt to hide the move or mask it as anything other than what it was. She needed to make sure he wasn't about to run off or try anything funny to get himself away from her. Though he appeared to be following her inside willingly, River still didn't know what was running through his mind, had no idea whether he even wanted to get some rest or not. Grabbing his hand and keeping a tight hold of it ensured he understood that she was the one in control at the moment, and helped to convey how badly she would react if he did try and leave tonight.

Pushing the back door closed when both of them were safely inside, River directed him towards the lounge. The cabinets by the far wall cast dark shadows across the expanse of the room, due to the moonlight shining through the window. Tugging the Doctor along gently, she gestured towards the sofa and released his hand. It took no more than two seconds for the inevitable protest to form.

"I'm fine. You can-"

"No."

The Doctor turned to gaze at her with a frown.

"Bu-"

"Have you _seen_ yourself?" The interruption was fast and the question filled with disbelief. River hadn't meant those words to come out of her mouth, but it was only now that she was paying attention to the rest of him and not just his face. And what she could see was _not_ acceptable.

The Doctor wore no jacket, and his shirt had been torn down the one side from shoulder to waist. The single consolation River could gain from this was the fact that the ragged shirt was clean, so he wasn't injured as far as she could tell. Looking down, she caught a glimpse of a loose, thick piece of material - all that was left of the braces that helped keep his trousers secure and in place - and moving her gaze further down, she could see that his feet were clad in socks without any sign of his shoes.

Glancing back up to his face, River pursed her lips as she felt her body sag in defeat.

"What happened?" she asked, although she knew it would be pretty pointless.

The Doctor cringed. Surprise filling her, River bit back the gasp. That was an action she hadn't expected from him, a move that indicated he was actually going to answer the question. Swallowing back any and all remarks about this sudden change of heart he'd apparently had, River tried not to fidget as she waited for him to speak.

"Kids."

River furrowed her brows when he failed to elaborate. "What?"

"They were just kids, River," he muttered, gaze lowering to the floor, voice uncharacteristically quiet and calm. "Silly, misguided children who didn't know what they were doing. And I-" Cutting off abruptly, the Doctor licked his lips and closed his eyes.

"And you what?" If she didn't get him to talk now, he might never reveal anything more about the events that had led up to this situation. Even though she dreaded the answer, had an incline of what was about to come, she needed him to properly confirm it out loud.

"And I had to stop them." At once his tone was full of a sadness River had heard only when he really regretted being who or what he was, and hated the fact that he seemed expected to always make the decision between saving one person or another.

Not bothering to ask anything else, River once again found herself pulling him in for a hug, as much for her own benefit as it was for his. It hurt to see the Doctor like this, especially when she could understand how some things needed to be done at times, no matter how terrible the consequences. There were things that she regretted doing too, and she knew that, however rationalised the final decision was, no matter how many people claimed the right thing had been done in the end, she always felt that something different could have been done. More often than not, she considered that, maybe, if her actions had been adjusted somehow, the events that played out would be far better for all involved.

The difference between River and the Doctor was a simple one, but probably the most significant factor that made it all that much harder for him to cope: River could walk away if she found herself in an unwanted predicament, and the Doctor could not. He had to help if he was capable, regardless of the personal cost.

River shook her head at the absurdity of it all. Trailing a hand slowly down his back, she had to stop the question that threatened to come as she noticed small but frequent tears in the fabric covering his upper body. She let her finger trace the outline of one of the rips, before peeling it back and brushing her fingertip tentatively against the cool flesh underneath. After a moment of tracing lazy circles on the skin, the body she held against her jerked closer suddenly, the action seemingly not of free will. Eyebrows scrunching up in confusion, River tilted her head a fraction and contemplated what was happening as she brought her finger back into contact with the Doctor's skin. Almost immediately he moved again, shifting sideways and away from her hand, a tiny gasp of a laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.

He then moved entirely away from her, his expression a mask of irritation and, startlingly, a sort of bemused surprise as he stared at River's extended hand. Staying still for a second, mind working quickly to figure out what was wrong, River didn't think to hide her grin when she realised why he'd reacted to her touch in such a way.

"You're ticklish," she stated, the words in of themselves producing a swell of devilish glee within her.

She didn't give any time for the information to sink in. With a teasing smile lighting up her face, River leant forwards and shot her hands out, her fingers working fast as they started tickling the Doctor's sides. Taking great delight in the yelp her movements caused, soon her own body was shaking with joy as the sound of uncontrollable laughter reached her ears. It was a wonderful noise, one that she had missed. Slapping his hands away playfully when they came up to try and halt the onslaught, River had to admit that this was quite the unconventional method of cheering him up. Thinking about it, in all honesty, if she had known this current form of his was ticklish, she would have used it to her advantage a long time ago.

"Riv- Stop! Ple- Ah, River!"

Blatantly ignoring the calls that managed to slip in between his loud hysterics, River easily followed him step for step as he moved backwards, his legs nearly giving way when he tried to grab her wrists to block the attack. Chuckling, River shook her head in triumph as the Doctor's back hit the wall. Unfortunately, he chose that time to become competent as he finally caught hold of her arms and firmly held them a reasonable distance from the vicinity of his torso.

Both were panting slightly, the earlier coldness in their bodies all but gone. Snatching her arms from out of his grip, River smirked. Figuratively speaking, he was trapped, unable to move due to how close she was standing by him. Blocked on his right by the wall that had the window on it, and on his left by a cabinet, he was at her mercy. Narrowing her eyes a touch, River deliberately lifted one of her hands up and held it barely a centimetre from his stomach. She took great pleasure in the tiny flinch the action produced.

"River."

The name was _supposed _to be a warning. Moving her hand closer until what little space she had left between it and his body had vanished, she curled her fingers a minute amount, letting him know who was the one with the power at this moment in time. Watching him swallow back whatever else he wanted to say, River allowed her smirk to soften into a warm smile.

"You need some sleep, dear."

Keeping her eyes locked with his, she applied a tiny bit of pressure to the place where they were touching, refusing to acknowledge that the threat of tickling once more wasn't exactly a horrible one that he would certainly wish to avoid.

"There aren't any beds upstairs, so you're sleeping on the sofa, because I said so." Though her tone was friendly, she left no room for argument. He was going to do what she wanted, at least for tonight, whether he liked it or not. Lifting her head a bit when he remained silent, River trailed her tongue along her top lip.

"Understand, sweetheart?" She was going to get a yes from him, even if she had to stay in this spot all night. The sigh was expected, as was the glare. The Doctor hated being told what to do; even total strangers could find this out within the first couple of minutes of meeting him. Bringing her face closer to his, she breathed out a laugh.

"Say yes," she ordered, eyes twinkling with mirth, but words strong and demanding. Not quite able to pin point the emotion that flashed through his eyes, River waited. His eyes closed, his lips forming a thin line as he brought his hands up and rested them on her shoulders. Opening his eyes once more, he lowered his head a touch until they were at eye level with their foreheads touching. A smile had made its way onto his mouth, but the emotion behind it was still unreadable.

"Yes."

**To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

There was something strange coursing through her, an off putting trace of an idea running into her thoughts, but Amy couldn't quite work out what it was. She had woken up with a stiff neck, while her muscles were protesting from what she had done earlier that morning. Having known when she'd first dropped stomach down onto her bed that she would pay for it later, it had also been painfully obvious that remaining in her skirt and tights would just make her uncomfortable upon waking up. Not letting her head rest on a pillow hadn't exactly been a bright idea either, if the ache in her shoulders and neck could be used as evidence. Of course, Amy was aware that all the hurt her body was currently enduring was her own fault, but that didn't matter. She was allowed to be annoyed, had the right to moan and grumble.

The thing was, at the time of wanting some sleep, Amy really hadn't cared about anything that didn't involve going directly into a deep slumber. She'd been exhausted, and the sleep had been needed rather than wanted. That fact didn't help ease her irritation right now, though. Feeling the repercussions of her actions was not nice, and she wished she had taken the time to at least remove her clothes before collapsing onto the bed.

Groaning loudly, exaggerating the noise quite spectacularly, Amy rolled onto her back and moved her arm up to cover her eyes when a bright light flooded instantly into her sight. Features contorting into a grimace, she began a slow count to five in her head, before letting out a bored sigh. This was not going to be a good day; the ache in her entire body was proof of her assumption. Gritting her teeth together, Amy moved her arm away from her face and straightened it and her other arm above her head in a long stretch. Legs straining outwards also, she arched her back as the pleasurable feeling of her muscles pulling just the right amount was created. Sighing again, more because of content than contempt, she let her body relax and fall back properly against the mattress.

Craning her neck sideways slightly so she could see the clock that stood on her bedside table, Amy's lips formed a thin line, while her eyes closed in disbelief. It was pathetically early in the morning and, considering it had been after midnight when she'd stumbled into her room, it meant that she'd gotten less than five hours of sleep. Opening her eyes once more, she couldn't stop the pout.

_Great_.

The sarcastic thought was followed by an eye roll. Amy hated not getting enough sleep. Shaking her head in a quiet loathing at how unfair everything was being to her, she grabbed her pillow and placed it firmly under her head; she wasn't going to make that mistake again. Closing her eyes yet again, trying to drift back off to sleep even though she knew it wouldn't work, the microscopic feeling of _wrong_ that she'd first had after having just woke up suddenly returned. Eyes snapping open in surprise, features scrunching up in confusion, Amy wasn't able to stop her mind from mocking herself for being stupid.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Amy's gaze darted absently around the blue walls of the room, her bemusement only increasing as she took in every detail of her location. Upon speculation, she realised she should have spotted what was wrong the moment she'd opened her eyes for the first time.

"Why aren't I in the TARDIS?"

-o-

"Where are we?"

River eyed the Doctor with concern. Those were the first words that he had spoken since waking up. Asking him if he had wanted any food or water had failed to gain any kind of response, as had gentle teasing and her outright demands that he speak to her. Having not gotten any sleep last night, instead opting to watch over him to make sure he got the rest he needed, she had been extremely agitated when he had chosen to ignore her for the better part of an hour. Though, as stressful and irritating as it had been, River couldn't deny that worry had also crept into her own words and actions when, time and again, her attempts to get him to acknowledge her presence had failed to work.

Pulling in a deep breath to try and calm herself down, letting the air back out slowly, she tried to ease her nerves slightly to see if her heart rate would decrease in speed a touch. She was too tense, unable to relax for some reason. She truly needed to try and force her body to loosen up its stiffness as soon as possible, because the Doctor had finally talked to her; if she shouted or yelled at him now, it would certainly just cause him to shut her out again.

"Somewhere near Kidderminster, I think."

A nod was the only reply the Doctor gave, and his eyes never once left the spot on the wall that, in River's opinion, he'd spent far too long staring at.

River's eyes closed as she willed herself not to sigh or show any outward reaction to the prolonged blank awareness that was being offered by him. All she could do was wait, really, because it was the best option. At least, it was a better tactic than lashing out at the stubborn idiot, at any rate. In complete honesty, River hadn't thought of any other way of dealing with the Doctor right now that didn't involve arguing or physical contact of an unfriendly kind. Slapping him would be a mistake, one that she was not willing to make, no matter how quickly it would direct his attention to her. Patience was the key to getting him to open up, so that was what she was going to be.

Having contemplated how she would go about getting information out of the Doctor while he'd been asleep, River's mind was still working hard to figure out a way that would effectively get him to speak up without hesitation. With reluctance came withheld facts, and with withheld facts came lies, and those were two things River did not want to deal with.

Given that the Time Lord sitting in the lounge with her now did not truly know her very well simply added to the ever growing concerns and list of questions River had. Taking into account the fact that it was the _TARDIS_ that had dropped the Doctor off here, finding out why the ship had done that was possibly the most bewildering thing of all, considering River hadn't been aware that the ship was actually capable of doing something like that. What was worrying, too, was that the TARDIS couldn't land anywhere right now, not without a pilot inside of her. Yes, the TARDIS was a wonderful machine, but she needed guidance and a hand to control her.

And, obviously, there was a final question that needed to be answered, which was probably the most important one: if the Doctor was travelling with companions when the TARDIS dumped him here, what had happened to them?

Shaking her head to try and clear those thoughts from her mind for the time being, River opened her eyes and reached out to place a hand on the Doctor's arm. The move had two separate meanings - a silent gesture of support, or an action that represented River's desire to hold a conversation with him - and it gave the Doctor the choice to react in one way or another. In all honesty, River wanted him to begin opening up to her, but she wasn't stupid. There was a high chance he wouldn't say anything else about his latest trip in the TARDIS, and that was something she had no control over.

Willing her features to not give away what she was feeling when he turned his gaze from the wall and locked his eyes with her own, River couldn't prevent her body from relaxing slightly from sheer relief. His face, once she could see it properly, had fallen into a mask of fake innocence while he stared at her, and instantly River felt a sense of familiarity about the switch of emotion wash over her. She could handle him when he was like this. She knew how to deal with him when he was in this state of mind. This, right now, although a rapid change, was within her powers to cease and mould into whatever she wanted. She smiled. Without realising it, the Doctor had just handed control over their current situation to her.

"You think you can play that game with me, honey?"

"Game?" Almost immediately his expression lowered into a frown, forming the perfect disguise of confusion. It made River's smile rise into a grin. This was brilliant. He was so inexperienced, utterly out of his depth. The Doctor was actively, and willingly, giving her ammunition that she could use to her advantage. Bringing her hand up to lightly tap her palm against his cheek a couple of times, ignoring the tiny slapping sound created as flesh hit flesh, River scoffed. He was making this too easy, and she was loving it.

"That works on everyone but me. I think it best I tell you now, dear, save you the trouble," she said, her grin all but disappearing as her expression became stern. Being a mockery of real anger that fell very short of being serious, a strong feeling of glee poured into River when the Doctor's lips lifted into a small smirk, while his eyes narrowed in response to the challenge.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

It was a dare, one that River had taken up many a time. Whether she won or lost, it didn't matter, because it was always wonderful fun having power over the conversation given and received depending on who had the greater knowledge and better comebacks. She couldn't remember if the Doctor had won more times than her, though she understood that the _actual_ man standing in front of her now had never played this before; it was far too early for him. Thinking about it, River realised that it would be startlingly simple to succeed and claim victory in this particular instance, yet she had to decline. She did want to play, very much so, because her massive advantage was too rare to pass up on. But she couldn't indulge him, nor could she indulge in her own desires.

Important information was required about what had caused him such upset, even if bringing up the event would destroy the beautiful mood that had materialised in the span of a few short seconds. The Doctor had to get everything out in the open, so he could start forgiving himself and begin forgetting about the pain. If he didn't, then it would eat away at his mind, would cause him to falter and make terrible mistakes, before escalating into a disaster that River never wished to witness.

Blinking to stop the sudden staring contest she found herself in, River slowly lowered her gaze to the floor as she attempted to collect her thoughts together. The question she was about to ask needed to be worded in a delicate way, so as to not scare him off. The precise structure had to be perfect, and it had to be spoken in a tone that showed she was willing to listen. Wiping a hand over her neck, lifting her gaze back up to his once more, she steeled her features into something quite fierce, something that she hoped looked confident.

"Doctor, what happened with those kids?"

Not subtle in the slightest, the bluntness of the question made River want to curse out loud at how incredibly lacking she was in the skill of sentence manipulation. Words weren't her strong point, and it was clear from the Doctor's expression that he too thought her abilities in the art of forming questions was rather terrible.

Almost as quickly as he'd been ready to challenge her, the Doctor backed off when the sudden change of subject became clear. Jumping up from his seated position on the sofa, he stepped over to the window. His hands dropped to his sides as he did this, and River could see how stiff his posture had gone. Obviously, he did not like where their conversation had ended up.

"It doesn't matter."

"_Excuse me_?" The hot anger that coursed through River was sudden, and just a little unexpected. Rising out of the seat, stalking over to the Doctor with fury, face undoubtedly becoming pink as it flushed with rage, she watched with a sneer as the Doctor lowered his head a fraction and turned it in her direction.

"I shouldn't think I'd have to repeat it, River," he said, his voice hard, patronising.

River didn't bother to give a warning before grabbing his shoulder and turning him around roughly until he was facing her. Triumph seeping into her when the move made him stumble slightly, revelling a touch in the way his eyes had widened, River had to force herself not to smile when both reactions indicated that she had caught him off guard with that gesture.

"Now you listen to me, sunshine. I can help. The TARDIS kicked you out here for a reason, so stop being ridiculous and talk to me!"

The swipe of the Doctor's arm was fast and precise as it came up to forcibly push River's hand away so it was no longer in contact with his shoulder. River was unable to hide the tiny jerk of surprise she made in response to the action. Leaning in close, the Doctor's breath was warm against her cheeks, and his eyes were cold and menacing as they locked onto her own.

"If I'd wanted your help, I would've asked. I don't even _know_ you. You may as well be a stranger."

River took an involuntary step back, while her mind repelled against what he had just said. The statements hurt, more than they had any right to.

Pulling back with an odd grace, the Doctor tore his gaze away from River, before he moved around her and walked towards the door. Feet treading lightly on the carpet, he said nothing more as he left the room without another glance in River's direction.

Frozen on the spot as her mind tried to process a way to counter the argument, as her thoughts attempted to deny the fact that, for the man she was currently interacting with at least, everything he had said was true, River felt her mouth open and close without any sign of what she wanted to say being present. Shock had hit her in an instant, making her muscles tense up and her body go cold. All she could do was gaze blankly at the area the Doctor had just vacated.

What had happened? How had the end results of her question veered off course that much, turning it into this horrid outcome?

-o-

_"Where are we this time?" Amy asked._

_"Amy, Rory, welcome to Puiot'os Ggruei!" The Doctor's gleeful declaration was followed by a grand gesture towards the large city in front of them. "Quite a nice establishment they have here, even if they had to manually move the planets. Their previous location wasn't pleasant, mind you, so I don't blame them for wanting to move here. This place is much nicer!"_

_Rory frowned. "Manually. They moved the planets... manually."_

_"Of course. What, did you expect six planets to move from one solar system to another all on their own? Really."_

Amy vaguely remembered the conversation after that. Consisting mainly of fake nods of interest and baffled glances directed at Rory, Amy hadn't even tried to understand the babble of information about how the system of Puiot'os Ggruei worked as it had spewed from the Doctor's mouth. All she had managed to catch was that Planet Alpha, conveniently named for tourists who didn't have the vocal capability to pronounce the real name of the planet, was the one closest to the sun, and it had been the place in which the TARDIS had landed.

Smiling as she recalled being fascinated by the strange array of buildings and aliens that had surrounded them at the time, Amy jumped slightly when a sharp pain suddenly shot through her mind. A sense of foreboding washing over her immediately, Amy felt a rush of terror seep into her as she attempted to remember what had happened after that primary introduction to the planet.

For some reason, it seemed as though there was something not quite right about the memories.

Frowning, Amy began to feel confused as she tried to figure out what was wrong with the images flashing across her mind. Far too rapid for her to comprehend, the memories were crossing through her thoughts as though she was watching a slideshow of blurry pictures. There were a couple of things she could make out - buildings that appeared to be dissolving, people screaming - but they didn't make any sense. It was all too much, too fast. Cringing, Amy closed her eyes and tried to put the memories into some sort of order, just to see if she could regain control of them. Gasping when the sharp pain returned, her hands came up to hold her head when a burning sensation started crawling up the back of her neck.

Yelling in pain when the burning intensified, Amy shook her head and attempted to come up with an explanation as to how memories were causing her physical pain. It wasn't possible, seemed pathetic, in complete honesty. It was her own mind, they were her own experiences, so how on Earth could they be hurting her?

She needed to remember what had happened. Something horrible had occurred in the system of Puiot'os Ggruei, if her current predicament was anything to go by. No matter how hard she tried, though, Amy couldn't bring forth the information she wanted to remember. As though everything about Planet Alpha had been sealed away, it felt as if her mind had been messed with, changed and moulded to erase whatever had happened during their visit.

Letting out a whimper, Amy's mind continued its impossible task of figuring out how to unlock the memories. Another scream escaped her throat when the pain increased exponentially, as though reacting against her battle to remember. Whatever had gone on when they'd been on Planet Alpha, it seemed that something - or some_one_ - truly didn't want her knowing about it.

"Okay, I'll stop!"

Amy was not a person who gave up easily. In fact, she couldn't think of a time in which she had ever given up a fight; this was different, far too intense for her to handle. Letting her mind wander away from any thoughts of Puiot'os Ggruei was the best option, and one that would hopefully stop the pain. Features contorting in defeat and anger, Amy found it extremely simple to close all thoughts of Planet Alpha away.

At once the pain faded, leaving relief and confusion to replace the panic that Amy had felt mere seconds ago. Almost immediately forgetting how much it had hurt, Amy scowled. This was ridiculous, practically pathetic. What the hell was going on? Moving her hands back down to her sides, she glanced around her bedroom with a growing helplessness. She hated it when she couldn't understand something, _especially _when that lack of understanding came from an unknown force physically preventing her from gaining the knowledge she desired to know.

"One thing at a time, Amy," she muttered to herself. If she wasn't _allowed_ to remember the events of Puiot'os Ggruei, then she'd just shift her focus to what, she assumed, was the more pressing issue at hand right now: where were Rory and the Doctor?

**To Be Continued**


End file.
